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Thieves hit Biggar Sometime between the evening of September 10 and the early morning of September 12, culprits broke into the Town of Biggar office, Biggar Library, Biggar Museum and Gallery, The Independent, and the Biggar and District Health Centre. While in these businesses, the culprits were able to make away with various amounts of cash. If you witnessed activity around these establishments over the weekend, it could be valuable information.
Please call the Biggar RCMP at 948-6600, and an officer will speak with you about what you know. Saskatchewan Crime Stoppers will pay up to $2,000 for information which leads to the arrest of person(s) responsible for this offence or any other serious crime. S a s k a t c h e wa n C r i m e Stoppers does not subscribe to call display nor are your calls traced or recorded. You can call S a s k a t c h e wa n C r i m e Stoppers at 1-800-667TIPS (1-800-667-8477).
Home opener jitters . . . Biggar Central School Blazer Dylan Haynes carries the ball during their home opener, September 9, versus the Spiritwood Sabres. Blazers
suffered, perhaps, a bad case of nerves, dropping the contest to the Sabres, 58-22. (Independent Photo by Kevin Brautigam)
Harvest advancing past five-year average Significant harvest progress was made due to a week of great weather. Saskatchewan producers have 60 per cent of the 2011 crop combined and 30 per cent swathed or ready to straight cut, according to Saskatchewan A g r i c u l t u r e ’s We e k l y Crop Report, dated for the period September 6 to 12. The five year (2006-2010) provincial average for this time of year is 47 per cent combined and 30 per cent ready to straight-cut. Harvest progress varies across the province. The southwest and southeast have 71 per cent combined, the west-central and eastcentral regions have 57 per cent and 56 per cent combined, respectively; the northeast has 47 per cent combined and the northwest 39 per cent. Ninety-two per cent of the lentils, 94 per cent of the field peas, 56 per cent of the durum, 53 per cent of the spring wheat and canola and six per cent of the flax have been combined. Across the province, topsoil moisture on cropland is rated as two per cent surplus, 69 per cent adequate, 26 per cent short and three per c e n t v e r y s h o r t . H ay
land and pasture topsoil moisture is rated as two per cent surplus, 63 per cent adequate, 33 per cent short and two per cent very short.
Freezing temperatures were recorded throughout most of the province on September 13, which will have some effect on the late-seeded crops. Recent
high winds rolled swaths around in some areas. In general, crop yields are reported to be average to above-average with the exception of the areas in
the south and southeast that received excess moisture in the spring. Crop quality is good on the crop that has been combined to date.
Fa r m e r s a r e b u s y harvesting, seeding winter cereals, hauling bales and controlling weeds on unseeded acres.
Donor’s Choice sets $32,000 goal A goal of $32,000 has been set for the 2011 Biggar a n d D i s t r i c t D o n o r ’s Choice campaign. The town blitz will take place October 11 to 13. There are 32 charities
included in the collection, nine of which are local. Donor’s Choice is a once-a-year collection for these charities, rather than a representative of
each charity making an appeal at your door many times throughout the year. This enables people to plan and budget their
Health care takes instruction, care to blossom . . . Great Plains Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) students get their hands on ‘Dolly’, an interactive instruction simulated patient last Thursday at the Biggar Hospital. The students were learning how to catheter a patient, and the doll received plenty of attention as the students move through the learning process. (Independent Photo by Kevin Brautigam)
charitable donations more easily. The donor ch o o s e s t h e ch a r i t i e s and the amount given to each. No more than one per cent of the money received is held back for administration. Your address is known only to this agency and does not get on any appeal mailing list. Last year, a different method was used to provide the donor with the sheet containing a brief description of each charity, and space to prepare for the canvasser’s visit. It seemed quite satisfactory, so once again, instead of being delivered to the door, the sheet will be av a i l a b l e f o r p i c k - u p at several businesses including grocery stores, drug stores, Royal Bank, Credit Union, Biggar New Horizons, Biggar Museum and Gallery, Biggar Library, and The Independent.
People are encouraged to read this information to know how your donations benefit all of society. Many canvassers are needed. If you are willing to canvass a block or two in town, please call Marion Fritz at 948-3326 or Donna Fines at 9483659. If you are missed by a canvasser, you can take your donation directly to the Biggar Royal Bank. Due to lack of volunteer canvassers, the rural area will not be canvassed, and Donor’s Choice is encouraging rural residents to take their donations directly to the Biggar Royal Bank. The Biggar and District Donor’s Choice committee encourages area residents to be generous and courteous when a c a n v a s s e r c a l l s, a n d make this a successful 2011 campaign.